1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of vending machines and more particularly to a newspaper vending machine capable of dispensing either an electronic version of a newspaper, or portion thereof, or of dispensing a physical product.
2. Description of Related Art
Newspaper vending machines are ubiquitous. They are found on city streets, in subway stations, in building lobbies and a wide variety of other locations. The purpose of the vending machine is twofold: it is both an advertising device and a repository for copies of the advertised item for sale. As an advertising device, the vending machine relies upon the headlines of the newspaper to generate enough interest for an individual to deposit sufficient money to pay for and retrieve the entire newspaper. As a repository for the newspaper itself, the vending machine is severely limited in the number of newspapers it can hold.
Many people find that newspapers are bulky, inconvenient to read, and have ink that smears onto their hands. They also contain vast amounts of information that the purchaser does not want. These are all disincentives for people to buy a newspaper.
Newspaper owners are aware of these disincentives and have developed alternative methods of delivering a newspaper's information content. Some newspapers are available electronically via the World Wide Web (WWW) on the Internet for free or by subscription. Others are available through the various on-line services or content providers, either as part of basic connect-time charges or as optional surcharged items. Still others use their own proprietary networks employing either a flat or a time-sensitive rate structure.
However, for a potential purchaser of an electronic form of the newspaper, the knowledge that he will have to navigate through various electronic media to locate a news item that piqued his interest provides a strong disincentive to accessing a newspaper electronically. It would often save time just to purchase the printed copy from the vending machine, even with its attendant deficiencies, rather than painfully search disparate electronic networks for the desired item.
Short range infrared (IR) transmitters and receivers are well known in the art, most commonly in conjunction with hand held remote control devices such as those used for television channel selection or for control of a Video Cassette Recorder (VCR).
Small hand held computing devices such as personal digital assistants or hand held computers are also known in the art.
Small hand held cellular telephones are commercially available in a variety of forms.